YOUR HOMETOWN — Basye: Ready To Ride

Bryce Resort Preparing For Mountain Bike Park’s First Season

Posted: April 3, 2013

By CANDACE SIPOS

DAILY NEWS-RECORD

Local mountain bikers have something to look forward to this summer in Basye: a new lift-access gravity bike park coming to Bryce Resort in June.

The park will take over the ski slopes during the spring, summer and early fall months. Although it will get a late start this year due to construction, the idea is for it to normally operate from Memorial Day weekend through at least the end of October, said Rob Schwartz, the resort’s general manager.

With a price tag of more than $350,000, the park will feature multiple trails with a variety of features, including plenty of jumps and ramps.

The park — designed by Whistler, British Columbia-based Gravity Logic — will offer beginning, intermediate and advanced trails, as well as a learning center with a small pump track to teach beginners the basics of mountain biking.

When it opens in June, at least four miles of trails will be constructed but the long-term goal is for the park to span at least 25 miles, Schwartz, said. The resort will introduce a new trail with new features every year, he said.

The attraction will be the first lift-access mountain bike park in the area, which could “get Harrisonburg even more on the map” when it comes to mountain biking, he said.

“It’s one of the best-kept secrets that probably shouldn’t be a secret: Harrisonburg and the areas around it, there’s just phenomenal mountain biking around here,” Schwartz said.

While guests can use their own bikes at the park, Bryce Resort has ordered 30 bikes from Trek. Guests will be able to rent the bikes, as well as helmets and body protection.

Schwartz doesn’t know what the prices for the park will be yet, but a one-day lift ticket should be in the $25 range, he said.

He hopes that children as young as 8 will be able to use the bikes and encourages all ages to come out to the park, as long as those younger than 14 have adult supervision.